Stone-ballast cleaner.



I. J. TRENGH. STONE BALLAST CLEANER.' APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1914.

Patented Feb.'23, 1915. l

WIT ENTOR.

` ATTORNEY` riaputwrrrj IRA J'. TRENCH, '0F MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTCUT.

' STONE-BALLAST CLEANER.

iaieaeeo Application filed May 21, 1914. Serial No. 839,977.

State of Connecticutr` have invented a new vand Improved Stone-Ballast Cleaner, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more especially to the class of devices employed for cleaning the broken stones composing the ballast for .the tracks of railways. and an object of myy invention, among others, is to provide a de- .vice of this class, by the use of which the broken stones composing the ballast may be thoroughly separated from the finer dirt with which it becomes mixed, and that will efectually distribute'both the screened mat-I ter and the dirt separated therefrom.

One form of device embodying my invention and in the construction and use of which the objects herein set out, as well as others, may be attained is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a ballast screen embodying my invention. Fig. Q is a view in front elevation of the same.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 5 indicates the rails of a railway,-laid in the ordinary manner and 6 that part of the roadbed located outside of the rails and occupied by the broken stones composing the ballast.

The numeral 7 indicates a platform mounted on wheels 18 arranged to travel on the rails 5, the platform and Wheels in fact constituting a flat hand car of any ordinary 4 construction. Upright supports 9 rise from the platform to support one end of a screen l0 that is obliquely arranged,.its lower end resting upon or near the platform, any suit` able manner of supporting this end being employed, and in theform of construction herein shown, this lower end of the screen the trough 11 and so arranged that a petition' of the steam will befreceved, from the lower Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, MM5.

edge of the screen and distributed outside of the rails for a sullicient distance therefrom to complete the ballast section of the railway. Guards 13 are located at the lower edge of the aprons 1:'2 in position to form a space between the guards and the lower edges of the aprons through which the screened stones will pass, these guards be- .ing so located as to prevent the stones from passing over their upper edges and also to otherwise prevent them from extending bevond the limits intended, In the preferred form of construction these guards have' a fiat surface against which the stone will strike. said surface being disposed at an angle to the surfacel of the main partv of the apron.

Guides 14 are located upon the screen 10, preferably near its'lower end, one end of each guide being pivotally secured to the apron and the oppositeend having means for detachably securing it in place7 this construction enabling the upper ends of the guides tobe located in various positions crosswise of the screen and secured in such i sult.

A dirt apron 1 6 is arranged in a position inclined downwardly and laterally of the platform and occupies the space underneath the screen to an extent to receive all of the dirt therefrom. The outer edge 17 of this dirt apron is located in such position with respect to the edges of the ballast aprons that the dirt will be deposited outside of 4end of the screen, this end of said screen may be lowered. The pivots 19 iare formed `iii supports 23 rising from the platform, these supports also serving to pivotally receive one end of the dirt apron 16, that is located in recesses Q1 formed in opposite edges of the platform. The pivots Q2 of the apron are removable so that the dirt apron may be reversed from the position shown in the drawings, and be thus used to deliver the dirt ateither side of the carf as may be desired. l'

It is remarked that the stones composing the ballast of railways, after a certain length ot time, become so mixed with dirt of the finer sortl that its effectiveness is impaired, and for this reason the ballast is at this time taken up. the dirt with which it has become mixed separated and the broken stones replaced. My improved ballast cleaner hereinbeforev described and illustrated in the rdrawings'herein, produces a devicefin the use oit which this screening oit the broken stones .rrd the replacing thereof on the roadbed may be effectively accomplished with comparatively little labor.

While I have shown and described herein a satisfactoryY form 'of apparatus foi accomplishing my purpose, this may be departed trom to a greater or lesser degree and yet be Within the spirit and intent of the inventOn.

I claim- 1. A screening device including a screen disposed in an inclined position, and a dis- Vtributer located to receive screened material delivered from the upper side of said screen, said distributer being constructed to conduct. said screened material simultaneously in diiferent directions.

2. A screening device including a screen disposed in an inclined position, and a distributerlocated to receive screened material delivered from the upper side of said screen, said distributerhaving surfaces inclined in different directions and arranged to simultaneously conduct said screened material to different places. h

3. A screening device including a screen disposedin an inclined position, and a dis-4 tributer located to receive screened material delivered from the upper side of said screen,

said distributer being constructed to deliver said screened material in the direction of length of the screen and also, simultaneously laterally of the screen and in opposite directions. -v

4.-. A screening device including a screen disposed `in an inclined position, and a distributer located to receive screened material delivered from the upper side of said screen, said distributer having apron members inclined in a direction laterally of the screen, `a central trough member to deliver screened 6.5 material in the direction of length of the with such delivery, to deliver said material screen and means for simultaneously delivering the screened material to a plural number of said members.

A screening device including a screen` lengthwise. oi' said support. a distributor lo,

cated to receive screened material delivered from the iugpersurtace ot said screen, said distributor being formed to conduct material simultaneously in dillerent directions. and an imperforate dirt apron arranged in an inclined position underneath said screen to deliver dirt in a direction laterally ot the screen.

7. A, screening device including` a support, a scieen disposed in an inclined position lengthwise ot said support, a distributer located to receive screened naterial delivered from the upper surface of said screen and conduct it laterally thereot` si,multaneously in different directions, and an imperiioratc dirt apron disposed in an inclined position underneath the screen to conduct dirt in a direction laterally oi said screen and toa distance farther from the screen than that to ivhich the screened material is delivered by said distributer.

S. A screening device including-a screen disposed in an inclined position. a distributer to receive material delivered from the upper surface oi said screen and including laterally disposed aprons. disposed to conduct material simultaneously in dililerent directions, and an limperlorate dirt apron located in an inclined position underneath said screen and extending laterally thereof farther from the screen than said laterally disposed aprons.

9. A screening device including a screen disposed in an inclined position, a distributor located to receive screened material deliv ered from the upper surface ot said screen, a guide located on said' screen, and means for movably positioning` either end of said guide to conduct material in ditlcrent directions.

l0. A screening device including a screen disposed in an inclined position` guides mounted on said screen, and means for movably positioning either end ot said guides to conduct. material in different directions From said screen.

l1. A screening device including,r a screen ill) llo

llo

terial delivered from the upper surface of' said screen, guides supported by said screen,

and means for movably positioning eitherv end of said guides to deliver materialinto different parts of said distributer.

12. A screening device including a support, a screen disposed in an inclined position, pivotally mounted at one end and detachedly secured at its opposite end, a distributing device located to receive screened materiel delivered from the upper surface of said screen, and an imperforate dirt apron located in an inclined position underneath said screen said apron having a removable pivotal support for one end thereof.

13; A screening device including a support, a screen disposed -in en inclined position, pivotally mounted at one end and detachedly secured at its opposite end, an imf perforate apron underlying said screen, said apron being supportedinterlnediate its ends, and means for detachedly securing one end of said `apron.

IRA J. TRENci-i. Witnesses:

EATON, LOUIS LUCIA. 

